Here are some more- Greg Ellis, Dallas Cowboys and was the 2007 NFL’s Comeback Player of the year. Takeo Spikes, Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl Plaeyer, Bryant Westbrook-Detroit Lions, Cornerback…Kevin Frandsen of Baseballs San Francisco Giants, with his injury occuring on 3-25-08. I think if Greg Ellis can comeback and continue to play Professional Football with the same injury we all share, well that is all the motivation that we all need.

Dan Mario torn his achilles during a game in Cleveland in 1993. Had surgery in Oct of 93 and was quoted in the Miami Herald in Dec on 94′ as having to have his achilles re-examined becuase his calf-muscle was not progressing as well as he had hoped. This has been the toughest injury I have ever expirenced. Dan M. gives me the motivation….great guy, class act and sports player of our time.

VP Al Gore ruptured his AT in 1994 while he was playing a game of pick-up basketball at the gym. He was 46 at the time.

Also . . .

WBA Russian heavyweight “champion in recess” Ruslan “white Tyson” Chagaev ruptured his achilles tendon sparring in Germany as he trained for a title fight scheduled for July 5. He was 29 at the time. He is rescheduled to fight for the title next year.

One of the best Bulgarian competitors, world and European freestyle wrestling vice champion Anatoly Guidia ruptured an Achilles tendon during a training session and had to be taken to a local hospital in Beijing for surgery.

Isiah Thomas of NBA fame and Tameka Catchings of the WNBA both suffered ATRs. Tameka just started back with her team this season.
Elton Brand did his in training last August and actually played the last five games of the season this past April. Count’em…..seven months. He’s a big guy too.

Kevin Frandsen of the SF Giants suffered an ATR in March. He came back in the final game of the season for a single at-bat in the last half of the eighth inning. He hit a sharp grounder to the hole between third and short. Angel Berroa made a nice play and threw him out by half a step. Made me wonder if Frandsen would have beat out the throw 8 months ago pre ATR…

Australian Rugby Union Player Matt Dunning ruptured his Achilles on the dodgy Wembley surface in December 2008. He returned for his Sydney club side in May 2009.

NZ All Black and QLD Reds flanker Daniel Braid had an ATR in April 2009 and subssequently had his lucrative Welsh rugby contract for 2009 torn up - poor bugger! Good news for the Reds though, he has resigned for the 2010 season - great player.

World’s best five-eight Dan Carter has also suffered a partial ATR playing in Eurpoe and had to miss the Super 14 and likely international seasons this year - FAIL!

To add to the list…NFL middle LB Ed Hartwell (Atlanta Falcons) ruptured his right Achilles in October 2005 and missed the rest of the season. After rehabbing for a couple of years, then being signed but quickly released from the Raiders, he never reached his earlier potential and did not return to play in the NFL. He was also beset by knee injuries, which I’m sure added to this inability to regain his prior strength and ability.

Thought I would add some to this list that I’ve heard about whilst reconvering:

1) Brad Pitt ruptured his achilles whilst filming the film Troy. The character he was playing at the time (this is the good bit) was called Achilles and was shot in the heel by an arrow in the films climax. Crazy but true!! Achilles heel! More info on IMDB.

2) Edge (from WWE) ruputured his achilles atnd recently returned to the ring after 7 months out to win the Royal Rumble! How about that for a comeback! There are videos on youtube of his surgery etc

Let’s not forget about Donovan Baily on this list: gold medalist and world record holder of 100 meter sprint at the 1996 olympics. he ruptured his tendon playing basketball in 1998 and was back racing in the 2000 olympics.

I just wanted to stop by and say that you I have been reading a lot of blogs lately and use them as references in some of the papers I am publishing and this will definitely be one of them. In the last week I have probably been on over 100 blogs and you have some of the most unique views which really impresses me. Thanks, your friendly Dr.

I just saw this on ESPN. It looks like starting safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, Marlin Jackson, ruptured his right achilles tendon and is out for the season. He’s had a rough last couple of years. He has torn the ACL in both his right and left knees. And now this. I’ll be tracking his recovery. The link to the story is below.

I have not checked in here for some time as I thought it was getting boring, but the last handful of posts are really good quality so I guess I will add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend.

I was at that game at Wembley when Matt Dunning ruptured his Achillies. I was in the front row and and could see the look on his face and thought “poor bugger - he’s in trouble there”. Now I know how he feels.

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Misty May-Treanor –who became the world’s most celebrated female beach-volleyball player BEFORE her 2008 or 09 ATR in a rehearsal for Dancing With the Stars (in running shoes on a polished floor) — just won her THIRD Olympic Gold Medal in Beach ball with long-time partner Kerri Walsh (Jennings). I don’t think she held back or “lost” much because of the ATR. . . She is retirint now, though.

Terrell Suggs, all-pro linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens & my favorite NFL player not on the NY Giants. Terrell had one of the best years of his career in 2011. He was named first team all pro, selected to represent the AFC in the Pro Bowl, and was named NFL defensive player of the year by the AP, NFL 101 & Pro Football Weekly. He is the Ravens all time leader in sacks and at 6-3, 260 lbs can run the 40yd dash in less than 4.9 seconds. In short he is a dominating NFL player who combines elite athletic ability with imposing size & strength. Terrell tore his Achilles this past May either playing basketball or working out. The reason for the lack of clarity is due to the fact that his contract could be voided if his team believes he put himself at risk through a non football-related activity. I could really relate to this quote I found in USA Today where Suggs speaks on appreciating what one cannot do with an ATR.

“This is a very unfamiliar feeling for me. I used to dread this. ‘Oh my God, I have minicamp. You have to go back and go in the sun.’ But now, I’ve never appreciated it so much because I’ve never had to sit and watch my brothers go to battle without me. So it’s definitely frustrating. It’s going to be a learning experience for me.”

Kind a freak accident* where arguably the best defense man in the NHL Erik Karlsson get’s his Achilles cut by the skate of Matt Cooke. you can get a good look at on this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrBsbD0Oqp4
super slow-mo at ~7:40
You could bet that every NHL player woke up to a pair of Kevlar socks the next day.
*there is debate whether it was an accident

I’m 8 days postop. Injury occured on 4-7-13 playing indoor soccer. The pain from the surgery hasn’t been too bad. I have more discomfort from the cast. I see my doc on 4-24 and hoping the next cast is better.

I tore my left one the same day that Kobe did, about 10 hours before him. I also was playing basketball, although my injury was only in front of about 20 people at the YMCA, I think there was a few more watching him:)

Hi everyone, I’m 34 years young, and I tore my left one playing indoor soccer and had surgery 9 days ago. I was wondering if there are people /athletes on here who returned to sports/soccer after recovery. I’m driven and possessed to attack this rehab as aggressively as I can as long as it doesn’t affect the healing of the tendon. Please post any success stories of returning back to competitive sports and how long it took.

Christian Benteke, a Premier League soccer (football) player in England, tore his Achilles recently. He’s a dynamic player for Aston Villa, though still young. It also looks like he will miss the World Cup this summer for his country, Belgium, which is very unfortunate. They should have a good team.

I did it 8 years later. We’ve had a number of others who’ve done it too, usually years later. Longest gap maybe 11 or maybe 15 years. A few people have done what I did, too, switched from surgical to non-op for the second one. Usually a faster recovery, way less pain, and no time off work with a desk job. . . It’s not exactly “good news”, but it’s not the end of the world, either, and a bunch of us went back to our high-impact sports the SECOND time, too!